San Juan CBP Seizes iPad Counterfeits

15 Boxes Falsely Declared as Digital Photo Frames

San Juan, P.R. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Port of Ponce seized a parcel with 15 boxes of an item named iRobot.

The parcel, arriving from China, was falsely declared as digital photo frames.

The false declaration is considered a fraudulent attempt to import the merchandise, since the unit value and description on the invoice were altered to circumvent CBP regulations.

The seizure will be performed under the authority of Title 19 of the United States Code, section 1526e and Title 19 of the Code of Federal Regulations, section 145.4.

“To facilitate legitimate trade and maintain confidence in the local commercial environment requires that we enforce intellectual property right (IPR) laws. CBP focuses our enforcement efforts on detecting IPR violations. In general, we protect computer programs, video games, toy designs and other intellectual creations against unauthorized reproductions, derivations, distribution or display," said Marcelino Borges, director of field operations for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Infringements to intellectual property rights cause significant loses to businesses who legally attempt to sell their brands in a free market economy such as ours.

Importers violating intellectual property rights may be subject to civil penalties and/or criminal prosecution.

Furthermore, the theft of intellectual property and the trade in counterfeit and pirated goods threatens America’s innovation based economy, the competitiveness of our businesses, the livelihoods of U.S. workers, and, in some cases, national security and the health and safety of our consumers.

CBP officers, import specialists and fines and penalties officers from the Office of Field Operations inspect, seize and forfeit IPR infringing shipments and issue penalties at ports of entry.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

This article was sponsored by Police Leadership Books.